Whitehall Mom, Son Win A Place In Puzzle Finals

Pat Andrews of Allentown and her son Jeff of Whitehall Township placed fifth yesterday in the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.

They finished a 1,000-piece puzzle in one hour, 17 minutes and 43 seconds, qualifying for the finals today at the Dairy Bar in Athens.

The record time for a doubles team is one hour, five minutes and 13 seconds.

More than 400 people registered for the semifinals, sponsored by the American Publishing Corp.

The top 15 teams will compete for a $2,000 (each) first prize, $1,000 second and $750 third. Teams can be singles or doubles.

All puzzles used in the competition are new and manufactured by American Publishing so that designs remain secret until the championships begin.

The finals conclude a week of puzzle activities, including a carnival of puzzling, a display of nearly 100 puzzle designs by artists and photographers and an exhibit of jigsaw puzzles from the 18th century.